The working group set by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) presented its recommendations at the end of February on possible changes to the World Rally Championship post-current season. The list included several suggestions concerning rally organisers.
Going forward, rally organisations will have more freedom to modify the route. For instance, the reintroduction of remote services in Rally Finland opens up new opportunities.
“The main thing for us is that these guidelines give us and our partners the opportunity to think about what kind of events we can create, so we don’t always have to come back to Paviljonki (in Jyväskylä) for service,” says Kai Tarkiainen, Rally Finland’s Clerk of the Course, to RallyJournal.com.
“Let’s head somewhere further away in the morning and create a small service park with a remote service system where the cars can do the basics service. This way, we can take the rally to entirely new areas,” Tarkiainen plans.
Currently, the route length is strictly defined in the regulations, but from next season, rallies can also be shorter sprint events or longer endurance contests.
Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville suggested last year that, for example, Safari Rally could become a six-day adventure. At the same time, the Belgian star proposed that Rally Finland could be condensed to less than two days.
Tarkiainen is not keen on that idea.
“We’re not going down that road,” Tarkiainen stated.
“A major public event in Finland, whether it’s a rally or anything else, lives off ticket sales. We have to be honest that we need to keep the rally long enough to sell tickets. The rally pass needs to justify itself; we’re running four days,” Tarkiainen continued.
According to Tarkiainen, this is the only way to keep the event viable.
“We don’t get support from the state, nor do we receive large sums from tourism boards, as some other countries do. We must acknowledge that the power of the audience and their financial support are what keep us alive with this rally. So far, this has worked, and we want to keep the package appealing to the audience,” Tarkiainen said.
Read also: Rally Finland’s new route addition came through a public tip – “Kari called me saying it looks good”
